The majority of the car-owning British public is generally satisfied by the service provided from the garage that last serviced their car, although a substantial proportion feels they were overcharged, a recent survey for BSI has found.
Of the adult population who have used a garage for their car service before, 85% were very or fairly happy with the last service they received, and a respectable 66% felt that they had been charged ‘about the right amount’. A sizeable 21% however, do believe they were charged more than they should have been.
However, in addition to the general satisfaction with the price, most British motorists have a high level of trust in the garage where they last serviced their car. In fact, an overwhelming 86% of them were ‘very confident’ or ‘fairly confident’ that the garage did the work required, versus just ten percent who were ‘not very confident’ or ‘not all confident’.
When asked about the reasons why people might choose a particular garage, it would appear that familiarity and proximity are major factors. Over one third (37%) of those who have serviced their car at a garage before used it primarily because they ‘know and trust them’, followed by 12% those who chose the business due to it being the ‘nearest to their home or work’.
Confidence in the BSI Kitemark
However, it seems that if a garage scored highly according to the measurements of an independent moderator, and had received due ‘certification’, many drivers would consider this additional factor into their choice when taking their car for repair.
For instance, the British Standards Institution (BSI) Group operates Kitemark, a UK product and service quality certification mark. Before our survey pointed out the function and benefits of Kitemark in relation to choosing a garage, less than 1 percent of respondents stated it as the main factor in choosing one. However, when informed about Kitemark, more than a third stated that they would be more likely to use a garage that had the BSI quality certification.
From these results, it seems that were the BSI to publicise the benefits of Kitemark, it could prove beneficial to garages and motorists alike.
